The OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute Comprehensive Stroke Center at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois is marking a milestone: 20 years of providing the highest level of stroke care throughout central and northern Illinois through its Stroke Network.

The INI Comprehensive Stroke Center is the epicenter of a stroke network that serves 20 hospitals. Developed in 1997, the network was created to allow rural hospitals to provide the same urgent and quality of care by collaborating with a larger hospital. When treating a stroke, time is crucial and this network is based on a joint effort to provide the right treatment in a time-sensitive window.

The establish of the OSF Stroke Network 20 years ago has helped citizens in central Illinois have the access to the best stroke care close to where they live. These network hospitals have all been able to offer clot buster to patients with stroke quickly and if needed transfer to the hub for advanced stroke diagnosis and care.

To celebrate the milestone, members of the INI Comprehensive Stroke Center team will host a celebration and plaque presentation at each facility as a way to recognize and acknowledge their 20 years of collaboration and dedication to providing the best stroke care possible to their communities and for trusting the INI Comprehensive Stroke Center to provide care that was not readily available in their hospitals.

The celebration at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center took place on Thursday, July 13.

Over the years, this collaboration provided cutting edge treatments to patients and developed one of the first “drip and ship” models where patients received timely efficient treatment at their regional hospital and were shipped to Peoria to provide more complex treatments and care. This could only be possible through collaboration, trust and sharing of processes and protocols.

OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute is a leader in the Midwest in caring for patients with the most complex neurological conditions. OSF HealthCare INI provides access to the specialized neurological care patients need through disease-specific focused areas, encouraging multiple specialists to work together to provide patients with the very best neurological care. More information can be found here.